HELIX TRADING LIMITED

1. HELIX TRADING LIMITED 2012-03-09 → present
2. CASTLEGATE 670 LIMITED 2011-12-28 → 2012-03-09

Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. About these numbers

Margins divide P&L lines by turnover. Gearing is liabilities over total assets. Current ratio is current assets over creditors falling due within one year. Interest cover is operating profit over absolute finance costs. Sector-distribution context coming next.

Accounting basis

FRS 102

Reporting scope

Standalone (parent only)

Auditor

Constantin

Audit opinion

Unqualified (clean)

Going concern

Affirmed

“The directors, having considered the current trading prospects, identifiable risks, working capital requirements and the availability of finance, are of the opinion that the company is a going concern. The accounts have been prepared on this basis. The directors took into account the ongoing Russian and Ukrainian conflict, the uncertainty emanating from the U.S. around tariff rates having an effect on global trading and currency exchange rates, and conflicts in the Middle East and their impact on freight route diversions and rates in their assessment of the going concern.”

Significant events

• “The business saw a drop in sales of just over £1m in the trading year of 2024. This was almost completely attributable to issues in supply chain.”
• “A long standing factory that had supplied a large proportion of product for more than 30 years closed during 2023. As a result the production was moved to a new factory and there were a variety of issues in the upscaling during this period.”
• “Significant cost pressure was placed on the business due to the increase in container rates from the Far East. During 2023 it looked as though the rates were settling back down to pre-Covid levels for the first time, however due to the Houthi rebel attacks these rates quickly escalated with prices climbing as high as $10k for a 40ft container at some points in the year.”
• “According to GFK the stationery market declined by 0.5% in value during 2024 but -4.4% in volume. Despite our supply issues Maped Helix grew its market share in many categories.”
• “Our supply chain issues of 2024 are now solved and we are well set for a strong year in terms of product availability and maximising sales, however the overall stationery market remains a difficult one with Q1 of 2025 showing an overall decline of around 4%.”
• “The issues in the Middle East and the Red Sea in particular are still of particular note. It is adding lead time and whilst the cost of containers have returned to more manageable levels they remain volatile and hard to predict in the long term.”
• “Many U.K. retailers seems less secure than before and as a result the credit insurers are removing cover. Already at the start of 2025 we have had cover removed on two customers and it looks set to be a continuing theme going forward.”
• “We continue to battle hard against counterfeit products especially in our export markets. We have a new agency in Kenya and we are aggressively targeting the importers and working with the authorities to stop the influx before they reach the market.”

Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers

Filings

7

last 12 months

Capital events

0

last 24 months

Officers appointed

1

last 12 months

Officers resigned

2

last 12 months

Direct counts from the register. No score, no rating — see the Filing timeline for the underlying events.

• Turnover

  -9.8%

  £11,127,944 → £10,042,729

• Cash

  +0.5%

  £1,587,546 → £1,594,738

• Net assets

  +6.2%

  £3,612,198 → £3,837,232

• Employees

  +6.1%

  33 → 35

• Operating profit

  -51.5%

  £628,383 → £304,520

• Profit before tax

  -13.8%

  £605,853 → £522,355

• Wages

  +15.5%

  £1,304,162 → £1,506,138

Each % is (latest − prior) ÷ |prior| for the line item as filed. The comparison is only shown when the latest and prior accounts cover broadly equal-length periods — short or long stubs (typical around incorporation or a year-end change) are suppressed rather than misrepresented. Lines a company doesn't report are omitted. About these numbers